So it’s been a little while since the last time we gave an update on all things “Desert Dwelling Smith” and about a hundred times longer since I was actually the one putting fingers to keyboard. 

First of all, Happy New Year to everybody and we hope that 2010 is full of health, happiness, and success for all of you.

And now for the update …

Christmas for us was a good one.  We spent Christmas Eve with Lisa’s family at Gary and Bonnie’s house where we were able to see Lisa’s Uncle, his wife, and their son Cameron (who we hadn’t seen in far too long).  Christmas morning at our house was fun, as it always seems to be every year.  Braelyn was surprised with a handful of treats from Santa and we were able to just take our time and relax together as a family … for a few hours at least … we ended up hosting Christmas Lunner at our house with about 20 friends and family with a fun potluck, bocce ball tournament, and a fire outside on the patio.  It was cool to have so many good people come together and just enjoy each others’ company.

Lisa, Braelyn, and I packed up and headed home to SD for the week between Christmas and New Years and were fortunate enough to see lots of family and friends while we were there. 

We took a family trip (my Mom, Dad, Devyn, and Kyleigh along with L, B, and me) to the Wild Animal Park which Braelyn absolutely ate up.  We took the safari tour, heard Lions roaring, got to touch an African Boa Constrictor, got mooned by a handful of Gorillas, fed Ducks, rode the Carousel, and about died from heat exhaustion (the forecast called for something near 60 degrees but ended up roasting our fully clothed selves with a very January-esque 85).  It was a good family outing as none of us had been there since Devyn was in Middle School (10 years ago at least).  Braelyn also decided she wanted to get her face painted … pretty darn cute in my biased opinion.

My parents hosted a New Year’s Eve open house and we were able to see Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends, and Neighbors … all of whom we haven’t seen in too long … it was awesome to get caught up.

Braelyn and her Gramma Sheri spent some time baking cookies, playing in the front yard, and playing with lots of toys … Braelyn enjoyed having her little cousin following her every footstep for the week too.

Since we’ve been back to reality, Braelyn continues to keep us busy with her dance/gymnastics classes, swim classes, and play dates with her friend Esteka.  We also had another fun annual excursion with Jack and Betty (Lisa’s Gpa/Gma) when “Disney on Ice” came to town - Braelyn hasn’t stopped talking about it nor has she quit pretending to skate around the house.

As this is a rare update with me as the author, I’ll try to give a recap of some of my job/role changes since the last time I posted:

After spending 2009 away from our Major League team for the first time in 5 years; I was running around scouting High School and College players in preparation for the Draft as well as covering and reporting on a handful of Minor League teams in case trade opportunities were to arise and/or to gauge our interest in Free Agent acquisitions.  I really enjoyed my time and was able to earn a more involved role within our scouting department.  2010 will see me covering 21 professional teams (5 Major League, 16 Minor League) for trades/free agency as well as seeing some of the top amateur players in the country as we prepare for the Draft (it sounds extremely similar but it is different, I promise, though it’s hard to explain).  Long story short, lots of travel, lots of writing, lots and lots and lots of baseball … and lots of opportunity.

I’m just enjoying every minute of the off-season right now since my time at home runs out on April 8th.  Braelyn is such an incredible little girl and Lisa, with very little help from me, sets such a wonderful example of what a caring, loving, genuine person embodies.

Long winded I know, but at least I hope you feel caught up.  Best wishes to you and yours …

Matt

As some of you may know, we recently lost our beloved dog and friend, Reiley this past week. She passed away with Matt and I by her side on October 30th, just a week after her 9th birthday. We miss her so very much and love her with all of our hearts. She lived a wonderful life and brought so much joy to everyone that got to see her smiling face and her wagging tail. I am not sure how to put into words how much she meant to me and how much I love her but I thought I would honor her memory by just saying a simple “Thank You.”

Thank You to My Friend

Thank you for always being by my side. Before Matt, before Braelyn, there was always you lighting up my life.

Thank you for knowing when I needed a nuzzle or a lick or just a quiet companion.

Thank you for the joy and laughter that came from seeing you running around the park with your tongue hanging out or jumping into the pool with your boogie board.

Thank you for laying by my side on the bed when I was sick or sad.

Thank you for letting me make up funny names for you and sing crazy songs to you in strange voices.

Thank you for your loyalty and always being there to greet me with excitement and joy.

Thank you for protecting me when we were in the car driving or home alone.

Thank you for your unconditional love and total affection.

Thank you for your zest for life and making even the smallest things fun.

Thank you for the joy you brought to my family and friends just by being you.

Thank you for the strength you showed right up until the end.

Thank you for always hogging the bed and sleeping on the pillows.

Thank you for making our house a home with your furry presence.

Thank you for always taking one of my shoes when greeting someone.

Thank you for letting me know that it will be “ok” with a lick on my hand.

Thank you for teaching me about love and what it means to give your heart away completely.

Thank you for your sharing your life with me. It was too short but filled with wonderful memories together that will never fade.

Thank you for filling up my heart.

Thank you for being my friend.

I love you so very much my baby girl and will miss you always - Mom

Goodbye to a Friend

There are some things that just can’t be put into words … how do you say goodbye to someone you love and who has been a part of your family for so long?

We lost one of our best friends a couple of days ago (the 30^th to be exact) when Reiley passed away at the all too young age of 9.  We were able to be there with her when she just wasn’t able to fight off her illness anymore and left us on her own with Lisa and I holding her in our arms.

It is a rare thing to find anything or anyone who can make you feel completely loved and adored and Reiley gave that to us each and every minute of each and every day.  We loved her and she loved us and we were a perfect fit.

The things we’re missing are too numerous to list and it seems amazing that none of them are “big.”  It’s all the little things that add up and create a void inside of us right now.  I guess that’s what unconditional love creates, that sense of completeness that, when all of a sudden gone, makes you feel a bit empty.

While it is utterly unfair and we are all devastated in these few days since it happened, we know the bitterness will subside and we’ll all be able to enjoy her memory in the future.  There’s no way that we’ll ever stop being sad, she means too much to us for that, but we’ll find it easier and easier to think of her and be happy remembering all that we did together and all that she was for us.

So here it is: 

Thank you, Little Girl, for everything you gave to our family.  For the smiles, for the laughs, for the happiness, and for loving us and always having time to make us feel like we are important.  You are the best friend our family could have hoped for and we are missing you terribly.  We are heartbroken that you are gone but know that we won’t ever forget all that you have been for us.  We love you - Dad

In Memory of Reiley “Violet” Smith:  October 22, 1999 - October 30, 2008

So we’re in the “Dog Days” now and I’m looking for another All-Star Break, or at least 2 days in a row where I can catch up on some sleep.  The last 6 weeks of any season are a bit more intense, especially when the team is still in a position to make a playoff push.  We tend to bear down a bit more and, some - like my wife - would say, overanalyze as much information as we can process in an effort to take an extra base here, get a big out from the opponent’s 4-hitter there, or try to steal the other teams signs … anything to give us that extra edge.  The rosters also expand on September 1st so we’ll have at least 5 additional bodies to evaluate and game plan for with every team we play from that point.

Due to this “6 week scramble” I tend to really enjoy the off-days at home even more so than earlier in the year.  I had one yesterday and was able to just hang out with the girls and do normal stuff (grocery store, BBQ in the back yard, do a couple of chores, play with B, and go to bed before 2:30 am).  It was awesome and I’m looking forward to my next one in a few weeks.

I know this is a short one but there’s work to be done … we start a series with the Padres tonight so, those of you in SD, look for me on TV (Channel 4 for those of you not in tune with baseball in your area). 

On a side note - I can’t wait to not have to hear about Manny Ramirez …  

As I sit here in my hotel room in Miami and am able to reflect on the last week for a few minutes I realize that I am fortunate to have a very cool “job” that I enjoy and that provides me opportunities to experience once-in-a-lifetime situations much more often than I realize. 

 The team went through Boston earlier in the week and I was able to finally see Fenway park, the Mecca (sorry Yankee fans), and experience Red Sox Nation.  And I had a blast.  I can’t describe the goosebumps and sense of history that hit me when I walked up the steps into the dugout and onto the field the other day.  For me, it looks much different in person than on TV and it took a second to get my barings. 

I was able to just wander around and give myself a tour of the park and I explored every nook and cranny that I could find.  I went to the top of the Monster, out to Pesky pole, sat behind one of the pillars in the grandstand (just to see what the poor saps who buy the tickets from the scalpers see) and had to pick splinters from the wooden seats out of my shorts.  I got a chance to go through the Red Sox clubhouse and just cruised the concourses to get a feel for the place … AWESOME!  I shook hands with Manny and saw Papelbon wearing a Pirates’ bandana and eye patch in the weight room (the Yankees were playing the Pirates so their clubhouse was pulling for Pittsburgh, obviously).  I also had the opportunity to go inside the Green Monster and “immortalize” myself by signing my name with a Sharpie on the foundation of Fenway park amid the thousands of other signatures down there (there were so many that I was in there for 20 minutes reading the old signatures and didn’t even come across the legends).  And no, I didn’t pee in the same spot Manny so famously did during the infamous pitching change a few years ago. 

 I was also able to walk around Boston’s downtown a little bit and spent a fair amount of time in the park (Boston Commons).  There were some Trumpeter Geese (that were almost as big as I am) that were sitting on a nest full of, what looked like, dinosaur eggs - something I’ve never seen before. 

It was also good to catch up with some old friends and people I used to work with, who are now Red Sox employees, after one of the games.  They showed off their World Series rings and shared stories of the Duckboat parade.  Needless to say I was jealous and eager to have a similar experience in Phoenix one of these days. 

It was an unbelievable stop and something that definitely lived up to the expectations.

I am, however, looking forward to getting home.  When it’s all said and done, I will have spent just 8 days at home this month and have been gone the better part of the last 6 weeks.  My minor league scouting coverage is complete, with just a handful of reports left to write up before the trade deadline so the work load will lighten up a bit soon, relatively speaking. 

 I hope all of you are doing well and hopefully my travels will bring us together at some point soon … Now if I can only get “Sweet Caroline” out of my head.

Well, my wife has been on me about touching base with everyone and submitting a post so here we go:

 We are now in city #2 of the year and it’s actually my favorite stop on the circuit.  Denver has a lot of stuff to do, good restaurants right near the hotel, good clubhouse at the park, nice hotel, and we stay close enough to the ballpark to be able to walk (which is always a plus in my mind). 

 Last night, our manager took the staff out for a very nice dinner at the Capital Grill (which I had never been to).  It was an interesting evening to say the least but it was a very nice gesture by our manager.

 This trip has been pretty low-key to this point.  Cincinnati was Cincinnati (which means not good - no offense to anyone with a fondness for it - we just don’t share it).  We had cold, rainy weather the whole time and there’s not a heck of a lot to do near the hotel.  On the bright side, I did have an off-day there (my whopping 2nd day off since February 20th) and some of the guys took me out to dinner in a cool little area of suburban Cincinnati with little pubs and mom-and-pop restaurants.  We had a good time and were able to finally just relax for an evening.  I was also able to run into a friend who moved to the Dayton area about a year ago; his family came in for a game and he drove down a second day to meet me for lunch.  It was good to get caught up and see a familiar face.

On that note, one of the perks of my job is that I get the opportunity to see and catch up with lots of friends and family that are scattered across the country. 

It’s been interesting to open two ballparks in one week (obviously opening day in Cincy and then, yesterday, the Rockies had their home opener as well).  The energy and excitement and expectations are always so high right at the start of the year and the fans come out in full force.  I’ve enjoyed the experience so far.

 Last paragraph, I promise:  After 6 weeks in Tucson for ST and another week on the road, I am chomping at the bit to get home, sleep in my own bed, and finally get some time with L & B.  It feels like a long time since we’ve been able to just go to the park, or take a walk, or … normal stuff.  I’m looking forward for some time at home that isn’t an absolute scramble.  On that note … I’m out.